Throw Mama From the Train, Dammit!

SIX!!! That's the number of times I had to change my daughter's big girl panties yesterday. Six times she peed in her pants. I mean, WHO pees that much? The thing is, she went in the potty, too! So, if you add up the times she went in the potty and the times she went in her pants it's like... I don't know, I'm not a mathmetician, but a LOT of times! I can't do this! I wasn't cut out for this gig! I was determined to be calm and gentle and patient about this whole nightmare of a process, but that there ship has sailed. I think I may have to up my meds this week (you think I'm kidding, but I'm not)!

I honestly find myself contemplating the most inane solutions to this WEE (wink, wink) dilemma. I picture placing my daughter in a small, hollow room with tile and a potty chair (I picture a raquetball court)... nothing else. Naked, maybe. No, not naked. I want her to figure out how to pull those pants up and down over that tush, for pete's sake! But no toys, no TV, no distractions... just her and her potty chair and a whole lot of BORING! Then I start to think to myself, 'you know, self, you'd probably be sitting on Dr Phil in 18 years if you did something like that', and I DEFINITELY don't want to do that cuz we all know what type of CAN I might open up on that there Quack job. And as if the whole hardcore "time in the hole" scenario weren't bad enough, I find my over-the-top mind thinking about whether or not they've invented shockable panties... yeah, I know. Confessions of a desperate houswife!!! Shockable panties! I might as well put a collar on her and take her for a walk around the block to have her pee in some other guys yard! Oh, where the mind goes when you've been BEATEN by the potty train.

In other news,... wait... there is no other news. This is MY LIFE as I know it (sigh)...

For Real, though, Totems

My grandma always had a totem pole in her front yard. Yeah, she just wacked off the top part of the tree and refused to take down the rest. We think it may have been one of those "in-mourning" life crisis' widows go through, but we just didn't expect her to get so attached to the sucker. I mean, it was growing moss and vines and who knows what else all over that big... hell, lets just call it what it was... it was a tree trunk. So my idea of a totem has been very enormously skewed by my grandma's front yard totem pole in Idaho.

But NOW.... NOW I find out that there are real animal totems out there that are supposed to guide us throughout life. I am told that it's predominantly Native American tradition, but with what I-za been a-seezen here, I am enlightened and in need myself of a little animal guidance just as much as the next Joe Shmoe...or..... Little Foot.

So, I don't know where to begin to find my totem. I like a lot of animals, but no cats following me or birds attacking me. I'm pretty easy like that. Now, Heather, I believe one of her totems may be a grasshopper for whatever reason those things seem to attack her everywhere we go. Maybe it's the inscents they smell from her Black Magic drawer. Dave, he's been marked by a dog... on the butt... That's right, he was bit on the butt by the loveliest Austrialian Shepard dog I ever did see. He wasn't a fan. Scared of that dog for life. I wanted to adopt her! She be my girl!

So where does one get in touch with this spirit guide of a totem... and does it actually look like my grandma's totem pole or are totems and totem poles completely different things? Man, I guess I'm still trying to figure out the reason why we kept that gawdy old thing in the first place. I'm pretty sure, though, that the eyesore on that lawn had nothing to do with animal totems, or spirit guides.

Hey, can I be assigned the totem that kicks ass, gets rich, and reads everybody else's minds before they get a chance to hurt me? We need to get us some of them totem.

You all know I'm full of k-shiz, right?

On the Potty Train... Again... Woot! Woot!

That's right. I always heard the horror stories about getting your little sugar boogers to use the throne, but I NEVER thought I'd be the one experiencing them. My offspring would be champs at bodily discharge, I thought. WOW! I mean... WOW! I have never been tried so hard as a mother than at this junction in my parenting career. Seriously, how do people go through this 5 and 6 times in their life? Hats off to you, Mom! I think that potty training should be considered the newest and truest form of birth control. I already had Gracie by the time I started having potty regression issues with Phoenix. Then I thought, DAMN! I'm gonna have to go through this all over again! Will I make it? Better yet, will my potty challenged offspring make it? I mean, at times I feel like the Potty Train Express I hopped on is about to blow it's top! Potty Train Express, ha! There's nothing Express about the training of the potty in my house!

I've tried the sticker chart (yawn), the Skittle Jar (over it!), and now have resorted to buying the nasty potty chair that MOMMY gets to clean out every time. You know, it wouldn't be so frustrating had she not already BEEN trained once. Yeah... that train's been broke! Enter baby Grace, Exit big girl Phoenix. Seriously... shoot me now... better yet, throw me off this crazy PeePee train.

"Arghhhh, Matey!"

Funny story. Phoenix wanted to go to the aquarium with her cousins, but I was exhausted from nursing round the clock with Gracie and Dave wanted some beach time, so we sent her off with her Aunts. She was so excited to see the sharks and turtles and fish that she couldn't stop talking about it to her Auntie Heidi all the way to the aquarium. She was singing and squealing the whole way there. The first room they walk into is the "Pirate Room". That was it! Phoenix FLIPS out, starts crying, and refuses to go any further. "There's bad guys! There's bad guys in there! I want my mommy and daddy!" Auntie Millie had to carry her the remainder of the day. Awwww! Uncle Ross and Auntie Millie saved the day by taking her to the kiddie ride amusement park so the trip wasn't a total wash. It's not easy being a kid!

This is my beautfiul family. Dave is so gorgeous with our two girls and I cannot get over how great this picture captures his excellence as a daddy and family man. Maybe you just had to be there, but this was a picture that I felt captured the moment and I will never forget.

This is my sweet, precious little miss Evey (my pet name for Grace Evelyn)

First Ruchti Family Reunion

We just spent an incredible week on the East coast at North Myrtle Beach, SC. The ocean and beach were absolutely beautiful and watching Dave play in the waves was heartwarming. It brought back memories of our time living in Rio. He LOVED the water and spent practically everyday body surfing at Copacabana. I felt a little sad for him that he doesn't get to do that anymore.

The beach house we stayed in was ridiculously huge. There were over 20 of us there, though, so it was just big enough. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to see all of the kiddos running around together giggling and having such a great time. I was amazed at how well they are beginning to talk to each other. The conversations we saw them having were precious. Phoenix was in heaven being able to wake up every morning to "friends". She walked around the house searching and calling out, "Friend? Friend?" It was so cute!

This was the first time I've seen all of my brothers and sisters together in a lot of years. Ross has 4 kids, Heidi has 1, James 2, Mike 1, Liz preggo with 1, and now I have 2. I don't think we've all been together since just after the first 2 grandkids were born. It's been awhile. It's been hard for me to find my place in the family as anything but just the kid sister. I don't know that anyone else actually puts me in that position. I think it may be more of my own personal insecurity. I think since having the girls I have been able to see myself on a more even playing field, but I am still extremely aware of my being the "baby" of the family and am finding it difficult to break out of that role. It's weird, but I don't even know that little girl anymore because I've changed so much, yet the instant I am surrounded by my brothers and sisters I feel myself revert back to that insecure little girl again. This time wasn't as bad as times past, but I definitely still felt closed and inhibited. I hope that someday I will be able to find my place among the 6 of us as an adult and a sister and especially as ME.

My First Ever Blog

Ready or not, here we come -- to the blogging world. I have always loved the concept of these things, but until now I haven't taken the time to see what it's all about. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work out seeing as it took me almost 3 weeks to make a layout for my blog and then another week after that to actually publish something. Myspace just seems so much simpler than this, but I'm willing to give it a whirl.

Dave and I are living in Arizona still. It'll be 5 years in September. We live in Central Phoenix, or what my friends lovingly refer to as "the ghetto". We've got crack-dealers living next door to us and we produce "serial" killers like no other place on earth, but we love downtown anyway. It's fun to be just a couple minutes from all the action of pro sports and art museums. I wish we could afford to live in a bigger place, but at least we've got each other, right?

Dave just completed his NEPA Master's Certificate program at Duke and is in his final year of his Master's Degree in Historic Preservation through University of Leicester in the UK. We are hoping that these two degrees will make him more marketable and give us that chance at buying a house we so desire. We have no idea where we'll end up, although we'd like to get back to family in Idaho. Only time will tell.

Phoenix is turning 3 in July and Grace just surpassed 3 months. They look just like their daddy and I'm not bitter at all (maybe just a little bit). Phoenix is a spitfire, but only when she feels comfortable in her surroundings. Otherwise, she will remain still and quiet, studying her environment and sticking close to what or who she is comfortable with. Lately I have noticed that as much as she looks like her daddy, she sounds just like me! She picks up on my influction and uses my same vocabulary. She is sassy as hell! I hear her say things like, "let's put it right here so it's nice and safe, OK?" (it's always OK???) or "put your seatbelt on, mommy! Don't wanna call the cops on you!" (thank you for that one Grandpa Ruchti). She says "that's so cool" and "oh, awesome" and "nice" or "sweet" and my new favorite "no worries"! It's so funny!

Gracie is still just starting to show her personality. So far I've notice she is a sensitive little soul, even more than her big sister. She jumps at loud sounds and cries if you pick her up even the slightest bit too abrasive. But, she LOVES to smile. As long as she is aware that you are near her and giving you her undivided attention then she is perfectly content and sociable. The moment she feels like you've turned your interest away, she sticks out the bottom lip and the waterworks begin! I kid around at times and refer to her as high maintenance, but that is probably a bit of an exaggeration. As long as I don't get lazy and am sure to give her the one-on-one time she craves, then she gets drunk from her happiness and falls fast asleep for a couple of hours, giving me what I crave so much lately -- a break!